Residents of the Austin-Round Rock area are well aware that the metro area is one of the best places in the country to live, but it is always nice to have these assertions confirmed by those who don't live there. Thanks to the Milken Institute/Greenstreet Real Estate Partners, residents of the Austin-Round Rock area can feel good in knowing that they are residents of the best performing city in the United States.

The Milken Institute/Greenstreet Real Estate Partners recently released its 2009 list of Best Performing Cities Index and the Austin-Round Rock area topped the list. In creating the list, the Milken Institute/Greenstreet Real Estate Partners considered a number of different factors. These included the area's ability to create and sustain jobs as…

According to the Texas Workforce Commission, unemployment levels within the Austin and Round Rock area fell by 6.9% in November. While this is still up from the 4.9% rate that the area was experiencing just one year ago, it does represent a decline in unemployment when compared to the previous month.

Previous data indicated that the unemployment rate in the Austin and Round Rock area was 7.2% in October. Compared to the state average of 7.9%, the Austin and Round Rock area is doing quite well with its 6.9% rate. This pattern remains true to the rates from the previous month, with the statewide unemployment rates being at 8.1% in October compared to the 7.2% rate of the Austin and Round Rock area. Similarly, the state had a 5.4% unemployment rate one month

A study conducted by Farmers Insurance Group of Companies mirrored the results of a recent FBI report, which listed the city of Round Rock as one of the safest places to live in the United States. According to the Farmers Insurance Group of Companies report, which looked at 379 large metropolitan areas with a population of 500,000 or more, the Austin-Round Rock area is listed as number one among the Most Secure U.S. Places to Live.

A number of different factors were considered when conducting this study, including all of the following: